Sharing some of my exploration into the world of art. I'll include some stamped work, digital work, photography and maybe even some journaling.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Tabor Grand, Leadville CO

George E. King designed this building, as he did a number of others in the town. It uses the Second Empire style and has a French Mansard roof. The building had the only hydraulic elevation in town when it opened. Construction began in 1884 and was finished in 1885 after H.A.W. Tabor made a financial donation. Thus the building bears his name.

Part of the building disintegrated and renovation was done in 1989. It reopened in 1992 with retail shops on the ground floor and housing on the upper floors.
The second photo shows a detail of the "segmentally arched" windows.

Tabor was a big name in Leadville. H.A.W. started as a shopkeeper in Malta and hit it big when he grubstaked a number of miners in Leadville. He also served as the postmaster and mayor of Leadville. His first wife was Augusta whom he married in 1857. The more famous wife, however, was his second, Baby Doe. They married around 1880. After some poor business investments and devaluation of silver, the Tabors' fortune disappeared. He died in 1899 but Baby Doe spent her last 35 years living in a shack near the local Matchless Mine, which she continually attempted to restart (unsuccessfully). She died in 1935.